When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes--Desiderius Erasmus...
A room without books is like a body without a soul--Cicero...
You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend--Paul Sweeney...

Thursday, May 18

This thing we do...

I've said it before and I'll say it again... We're all crazy.Things must have been too quiet in romanceland so some of us are feeling the need to stir things up a little, okay maybe a lot.

Writers sniping at readers, readers snarking at writers--gee whiz, can't we try to get along *eyes rolling, can you see the eyes rolling*. Go to your respective corners and come out swinging. Debating for the sake of debating, not really getting anywhere.

To quote Maili:

So, basically: a reader shouldn’t come between an author and her book, and the author shouldn’t come between the book and its reader? Is this what everyone’s agreeing on?

There it is, it works for me. Somehow this got lost in the middle of the night over on Smart Bitches.

The writing process, whether art, craft or work is for the author. The reading process, whether for pleasure, escape or personal growth is for the reader.

When the author masters her art, craft or job, hopefully readers find whatever the heck it is we're looking for.

5 comments:

Make nice? I doubt it. I swear, I think the conversation is people shouting at each other across a valley. Can't really make yourself heard properly & you can't understand quite what's being shouted at you. So why bother?

Still, I find myself fascinated. I stand on the sidelines watching the horrible train wreck & think-'Boy, that is one scary looking accident. I'm glad it isn't me.'

I don't know how everyone is keeping up! I came home last night and tried to start reading the threads/comments and finally just threw my hands up in the air. It is exhuasting...but entertaining at the same time.

I did find myself leaning more toward Lani's version of writing than Kinsale's (which I'm still not certain I wholly understood) -- I think it's great that Kinsale is able to work in a self-contained vacuum, working only for her own pleasure and artistic vision...but I dunno, I kind of like keeping the audience in mind -- the ideal reader, as Stephen King puts it. Sometimes that ideal reader is me.

And not pleasing everyone, but just everyone who wants to hear the story I want to tell (and doing my best work as I'm trying to craft it). And understanding that I don't always tell the story some readers want to read.